Librarians, social workers, refuse collectors and care staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are among the staff covered by the deal.

Heather Wakefield, Unison’s national secretary for local government, said: “Our members’ decision to accept the offer is the decision of hardworking, loyal local government workers who fear for their jobs while Tory councils slash council tax, jobs and services.

“Our members deserve more pay. They deserve better treatment. We will be campaigning hard over the next year to get that message across to service users and employers.”

However, industry experts have previously warned that unions were living in a ‘dream world’ for trying to negotiate any pay rise for staff during a period of economic uncertainty.